MIAMI—Jax State football coach Charles Kelly has been telling his team for weeks that each game is a championship game.
 
That rings especially true this afternoon in Miami as the Gamecocks take on FIU at 2:30 p.m. Central Time with both teams having a lot to play for at Pitbull Stadium.
 
With a win, Jax State will secure a spot in the 2025 Air National Guard CUSA Championship Game. FIU is looking to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2019 and get first-year coach Willie Simmons his ninth consecutive season at .500 or better as a head coach.
 
The Gamecocks were a 35-26 winner at AmFirst Stadium last week over Kennesaw State to take sole possession of first place in the Conference USA standings. Jax State forced four turnovers in the game, highlighted by a pair of interceptions by Caleb Nix who has been named as the league's defensive player of the week in each of the last two weeks. The redshirt junior has had an interception in three straight games and had a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown the week prior.
 
Walker O'Steen is coming off a career-high 14 tackle performance and also had an interception against Kennesaw State. The White Plains native now leads the team in total tackles with 60 which includes 5.5 for loss.
 
Turnovers have been key during this stretch with the Gamecocks posting a +9 giveaway/takeaway ratio in league play. Additionally last week, Jax State made three red zone stops with three interceptions coming inside their own 25-yard line.
 
On offense, Doak Walker Award semifinalist Cam Cook leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in all-purpose per game at 149.2 and has rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown in every Conference USA game this year.
 
Wide receiver Deondre Johnson has a touchdown reception in three straight games. His four touchdown receptions this year have gone for a combined 225 yards for an average of 56.2 yards per catch.
 
The Panthers have won back-to-back games at Middle Tennessee and at home in overtime last week over Liberty. They also are responsible for Western Kentucky's lone conference loss in Bowling Green on October 14, 25-6.
 
Today's game marks the first FBS game this season where two 1,000-yard rushers go head-to-head with Miami Central product Kejon Owens leading the Panthers with 1,039 yards and 10 touchdowns. It's strength-on-strength in both directions as FIU's rush defense is third in Conference USA at 146.8 yards allowed per game and Jas State's is second at 145.4 yards allowed per game.
 
This marks the fourth meeting all-time and third in Miami between the two teams. Last year, Jax State got a 56-yard touchdown run from Tre Stewart with 9:55 to play to come away with a 34-31 win at AmFirst Stadium.
 
Today's game will air on CBS Sports Network and the Gamecock Sports Network.